Feeling saucy? Here are the 6 restaurants that customers say serve the best pasta in the Valley

As fall settles in and Phoenix-area temperatures finally cool down, there’s almost nothing more comforting than a big plate of pasta. The pasta-bilities are endless.

Plus, Saturday is National Pasta Day, so we checked customer reviews on Reddit, Yelp, Tripadvisor, OpenTable and Facebook to find the Valley restaurants serving up top-tier pasta.

What eateries have the best pasta in the Phoenix metro area?

Forno 301

Locations:

Phoenix – 1616 N. Central Avenue

Ratings: The restaurant consistently received average ratings over four stars on review sites, with it getting 4.7 out of five stars on OpenTable, 4.4 on Tripadvisor and 4.3 on Yelp.

What’s good? Forno 301 is a family-run business that serves homemade pasta cooked by Owner and Head Chef Luca Gagliano. The eatery’s food was not only highlighted as being fresh and flavorful, but also reasonably priced with large portion sizes. 

“I love Forno, their pasta is top notch. If it isn’t best quality pasta in the Valley, it’s gotta be top three,” a reviewer said. “Small menu with a daily pasta and pizza special that rotates.”

Fans also made note of Forno 301’s extensive wine selection as well as the friendly, helpful staff. 

The pasta plates that eaters recommended ordering include:

• Fettuccine Carbonara
• Sage Ravioli
• Pesto Gnocchi

Looking for the perfect way to finish your meal? Order the tiramisu or limoncello.

Tutti Santi

Locations:

Phoenix – 7575 N. 16th Street Suite 5 

Scottsdale – 6339 E Greenway Road

Ratings: Both of the restaurant’s locations were rated higher than four stars on Yelp, Tripadvisor and OpenTable, notably each of their highest scores was 4.8. 

What’s good? Tutti Santi was started in 1996 by Chef Nina Vincenti. The Phoenix location still uses Vincenti’s original family recipes while the one in Scottsdale is run by Chef Leonardo “Leo” Zacchino, who is from San Remo, Italy. 

It is important to note that while the locations’ menus offer some of the same items, they do differ slightly.

Customers complimented the restaurant’s atmosphere, next-level service and wide selection of exceptionally authentic food.

“Tutti Santi feels like a true neighborhood Italian restaurant where you can settle in, enjoy a great meal and forget about everything else for a couple of hours,” a reviewer said. “Definitely a place we’ll return to.”

Noting which location they’re offered at, these are the dishes that received accolades:

• Linguine with fresh clams, which come in a red or white sauce (Phoenix and Scottsdale)
• Spaghetti Bolognese (Phoenix)
• Homemade Ravioli (Phoenix and Scottsdale)
• Taglioni Bolognese (Scottsdale)
• Lasagna (Phoenix and Scottsdale)
• Gnocchi (Phoenix and Scottsdale)
• Tortellini Panna Rosa (Phoenix and Scottsdale)

Tip: One person said that while Tutti Santi doesn’t have a kids menu, they do allow half orders.

Veneto Trattoria

Location:

Scottsdale – 6137 N. Scottsdale Road

Ratings: Across Yelp, Tripadvisor and Google reviews, the eatery received average ratings of four, 4.4 and 4.6 out of five stars, respectively.

What’s good? Owner Roberto Rossi, who is from the northeast Italian region of Veneto, opened the restaurant in 1997 and a lot of the staff is from Italy, including general manager Remo Gerra and Chef Massino Brunelli, who is from Venice. 

It is modeled after the traditional trattorias in northern Italy and offers a Venetian-style menu.

Eaters felt the food was fresh, full of flavor and high quality, particularly enjoying the homemade pasta’s texture.

“We have not had any food or drink that hasn’t been at minimum good,” a reviewer said. “By far me and my wife’s favorite restaurant in the Valley.”

The pastas recognized by fans include:

• Tagliolini Tre Sapori
• Scaloppine de Vitello Pizzaiola
• Fettuccine al Sugo d’Anatra
• Lasagna with a light béchamel and meat ragu
• Orecchiette Salsiccia e Broccolini

POMO

Locations:

Biltmore – 2502 E. Camelback Road Suite A & B

Downtown Phoenix – 705 N. First Street Unit 120

Scottsdale – 8977 N. Scottsdale Road #504

Ratings: Across its three locations, the eatery received average ratings above four stars, with the highest being 4.8, on Yelp, Tripadvisor and OpenTable. 

What’s good? While POMO is typically recognized for its Neapolitan-style pizza, the pasta dishes that it offers have been described by reviewers as “underappreciated.” 

Customers highlighted how fresh the restaurant’s pasta is, citing that it’s made from scratch.

“POMO is the closest that I’ve had to authentic Italian,” one eater said.

The menu items at POMO that people seemed to like the most were:

• Tagliatelle Bolognese
• Gramigna Boscaiola
• Gnocchi Sorrentina
• Lasagne Al Forno
• Pappardelle Short Rib

POMO’s espresso martinis were also a fan favorite. Currently, the menu includes a classic version with hazelnut liqueur, a chocolate malt version made with bourbon and a pistachio version topped with pistachio almond foam.

Fabio on Fire

Location: 

Peoria – 8275 W. Lake Pleasant Parkway #101

Ratings: The West Valley eatery was rated fairly high on Yelp and Tripadvisor, receiving 4.3 and 4.2 out five stars, respectively.

What’s good? The restaurant describes itself as providing visitors with a trip to Italy without having to leave the Valley. 

Fabio on Fire earned the honor of being some customers’ go-to for Italian due to its food being reasonably priced, the pasta homemade and sauces made from scratch.

“Their food was truly fabulous and took us all back on a nostalgic memory of Italy,” a reviewer said. “Their food is authentic, their service is impeccable and their restaurant is [a]esthetic.”

Fans highlighted the best pastas to order as:

• Orecchiette
• Ravioli Al Brasato
• Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese
• Butternut Squash Ravioli

Want dinner and a show? On Wednesday, visitors can order the Carbonara and have it made tableside by Chef Fabio himself.

Also, to end your visit on a sweet note, get yourself some of the eatery’s house-made gelato.

Mamma Lucy

Location: 

Scottsdale – 9245 E. Bell Road #111/112

Ratings: The restaurant had average ratings above four stars, with it receiving 4.3 out of five stars on Yelp and 4.6 on OpenTable.

What’s good? Mamma Lucy’s is named after Owner and Executive Chef Fabio Berdicchia’s mother Lucia, who was from Puglia in southeastern Italy. The menu is inspired by the recipes she passed on to Berdicchia as he was growing up, they were based on cuisine from northern and southern Italy. 

The delicious food and its homecooked feel were what impressed many customers and kept them coming back, or at least saying that they would.

 “I'[ve] live[d] in Italy three months out of every year for the past six years and this has been the most authentic place I’ve found in AZ,” a poster on Reddit emphasized. 

The dishes of pasta that impressed customers the most were the:

• Lasagna
• La Regina Carbonara
• Spaghetti Alla Positano
• La Romana La Zozzona
• Pappardelle Funghi E Salsiccia

Pro tip: If you’re visiting with a group the restaurant offers a signature trio on its menu that consists of the Cacio e pepe, carbonara and Amatriciana.

Besides the food, the atmosphere was described as being warm and inviting, while the staff was said to be friendly and helpful.

Did we miss your favorite spot to get pasta in metro Phoenix? Let us know in the comments.

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